Green Goes Good With Pink
by GreenWyrm
Summary: Short, fluffy, Gelphie friendship piece. Possible preSlash. Musical based, Shiz era. Warnings for severe sentimentality.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I own none of the characters, lines, or plots of the novel Wicked, the musical Wicked, or any of the many incarnations of the Wizard of Oz. Please don't sue me; no profit is being gained.

**Author's Notes**: This is my first fic submission, though not really my first written. I would appreciate any constructive feedback. I also have the inkling to expand this into a longer Gelphie Slash fic that will hopefully not be quite this sappy, but probably _will_ be very sentimental. Last little thing; I'm basing this off of the musical but my Elphaba characterization seems to be more in keeping with the book, so that may be a cautious OOC warning. Anyway, on with the show.

_Your honorable Ozness, I am most honored…no, delighted…eager. Right. Eager to have the opportunity to speak with you._

She sat with her back to a tree in the woods just outside Shiz, comtemplating, concentrating, practicing. There was just so much to say she really needed the quiet time alone to be able to mull things over.

"And I will of course wear the most _beautiful _dress with…with lace and silk and…and pearls!"

Or whatever. _I wish to appeal to you, not on my own behalf, but on behalf of my most illustrious and…and kind…_

"You will of course be my Maiden of Honor, and don't worry I shan't put you some hideoucious gown for fear of being upstaged. After all, who _could…_"

_And _innocent_ professor, the highly academically decorated Dr. Dilla-_

"**Elphie are you listening to me**?"

The green girl smiled up at the sunlight streaming through the branches above her.

"Of course not," she replied, not even glancing at her blond companion. "Do I ever?"

"Oooh!" exclaimed the petite girl, maneuvering her skirts in order to move closer to her infuriating friend. "Elphaba, you are just awful sometimes," she said plopping down in front where she could not be ignored. "This is important!"

Elphaba laughed, a high, happy cackle and threw back her head.

"Oh Galinda, don't pout. I'm only teasing. Now what did you want?"

Galinda huffed and primed as she spoke, saying, "Well, what I _wanted_ to know was what your best color is."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You mean…to wear?"

"Of course!" Galinda said, rolling her eyes.

"Why?"

"For your bridesmaid's dress."

Elphaba snorted. "Black. That's my best color."

"Now that's not even true," scolded Galinda, letting out a sigh of exasperation. "And you can't wear black at a wedding. What about pink?"

"Ugh. I think you're confusing us, Galinda."

"Green goes good with pink."  
"No, it doesn't."

"Yes it does!" Galinda insisted, swatting Elphaba's pointed, black hat over her eyes."

At this they both burst into giggles.

"So," Elphaba asked when the laughter had subsided. "Whose wedding am I attending?"

"Mine"

"Yours?"

"Mmm-hmm. Mine and Fiyero's." Explained Galinda, snuggling into the crook of her friend's arm.

Elphaba smiled. "You think we'll still be friends then?"

"Of course we will! We'll be friends forever."

Her friend blinked. "Forever's a long time."

Galinda sat up. "You don't think we'll be friends then?" she demanded sharply.

"It doesn't make much sense that we're friends _now._"

Galinda shook her head. "That's what other people say Elphie, but it's not true. Don't you say that".

Elphaba pushed herself up on her elbows. "So you think makes _perfect_ sense that _you,_" she said gesturing to the pale, pink, blond and brightly dressed pixie before her. "And _me,_" motioning toward her own drab, black frock, "Should be friends?"

"_Best_ friends," Galinda corrected. "Of course. I told you," she said with a grin. "Green goes good with pink."

Elphaba chuckled, then glanced up.

"We should head back. It's getting late."

Galinda sighed. "Yes, I suppose."

They were walking back toward Shiz when Galinda stopped and darted off the path, racing down the small incline leading to the wilderness.

"Galinda, what are you doing?" called Elphaba exasperatedly.

"Elphie, come here! Look at this!"

With a brief sigh and a roll of eyes she made her way to the sound to the blond girl's voice.

"What?" she demanded.

"Look," cried Galinda, pointing.

Elphaba looked in the direction indicated. She blinked. "It's a plant."

"It's a _rose_."

"So?"

"I didn't know they had them here! We have roses all around the house back home; they're very difficult to grow, you know, temperamental. Look!" she cried excitedly pulling Elphaba toward the bush. "They've already started blooming! And out here in the wild! How unusual…"

It was a small, tangled, leafy tree accentuated by clumps of tiny pink flowers. Elphaba squinted. Galinda was right; these were rare, real roses and not the wild tea roses that grew every which way. _Pretty_.

"The gardener back home would say that roses are the Queen of Flowers. It's the most beautiful, delicate, fragrant…"

"Ow!" cried Elphaba, who had moved a hand in for a closer look only to quickly pull it back. She inspected her scraped hand, eying the bush warily. "Nasty bite for a queen."

Galinda giggled, earning her a glare from her injured friend.

"Well," she said. "Delicate royalty needs a fierce protector and a strong stem."

"Hmm," Elphaba replied.

"You know," said Galinda, gazing at the green girl standing beside the briar bush, she tilted her head to one side. "It's sort of like us."

"_Us?_" said Elphaba raising her eyebrows.

"Yes. Us," she replied, turning to the plant in question. "A pretty, pink, useless flower held up and protected by a plain, green, strong, powerful and thorny stem." With that she turned her head to peek at Elphaba out of her eyelashes with a shy smile.

Elphaba didn't smile. "You're not useless," she said softly.

"Who said I was the flower?" said Galinda, eyes wide with feigned surprise. This earned her little half smile.

"Really though," said Elphaba. "A stem has no purpose on its own. It needs something to…to…to hold up."

She stood there looking at the rosebush shoulder to shoulder with Galinda who continued to inspect her friend out of the corner of her eye. She reached her left hand out to intertwine it with the calloused, sweet pea colored one next to her. Elphaba blinked, then slowly moved her gaze to the hands between them. She swallowed.

She broke the link.

"Good Oz, are we sentimental today."

"I suppose," said Galinda, playing with the front of her dress.

"Well, let's get on then. We've wasted enough time here," Elphaba grunted, trudging back to the path.

"Are you coming?" she called.

Galinda's head snapped up. Elphaba was already standing on the beaten path. The sun set to the West behind her. It darkened and illuminated the girl's green skin, surrounding her with the light of the late setting sun.

"Red," Galinda whispered. "It'll be red."

"_Galinda_!"

"Coming!"


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **Hi. I've decided to continue this story. It is not complete and furthermore I have no idea where it is going. So far, it's staying on the fluffy side, however I must warn you that this is unlike me and there is no telling how long the spell will last. It is going to be femslash. Eventually. Someday. I appreciate feedback, especially since this chapter has not been beta-ed. Please catch my mistakes so I don't have to. However, please don't be rude about it. It's annoying, mean and frankly just not very classy. That didn't come out very frank. One last thing; I put a disclaimer at the beginning of the first chapter, which I'm now calling "Prologue" since that's what it's turning out to be. That's all I'm doing. Not doing it again. It applies for the whole story. Anyone with a problem with that can bite me. All right, I'm done now. Enjoy. And that's an order.

The dead cannot forgive or condemn. _They have better things to do I'm sure_. So, what good are promises when made to those who cannot see it kept? _What is stopping me? _Nothing. But then…_I couldn't commit a wrong against somebody from whom I had no hope of forgiveness._ Even if it's better for them. **No**. _I will not treat anyone as such a child, deciding without their permission what better serves them._ No one deserves such disrespect and scorn.

Not even the wicked.

_Especially_ not the Wicked.

Late in the early morning, privacy found at last in her rooms, Glinda allowed herself the comforts she had been denied throughout that day's fervent festivities. Many days' festivities. How long was this to last?

She wept. She sobbed. She dropped to the floor, holding her arms to herself as if her heart would fall out of her without the help. The one thing she did not do, which she longed for more then anything, was to scream. To scream the truth from the highest rafters until her voice was only a memory. She had already relived this fantasy a thousand times in her mind that day. She wondered if it would be that way forever, day after day of stopping words in her throat, night after night of shouting in her sleep.

"_Promise_ _me, Glinda." _Three simple words that so mercilessly asked such a tremendous task. And two words, even simpler, that foolishly accepted.

_If I didn't love the bitch so much I could really hate her for this._ But then, if she hadn't she wouldn't want to break this promise so badly. Wouldn't have needed to make it to begin with. It wasn't fair really. To hate was so easy, this day had proven that. To love was so hard, so…painful. They were both, however, nearly impossible to shake. It seemed the world would be better without either of them. No hate, no love, that was what she needed. That was the only way she could survive this existence. Except that love was the only thing keeping her in it. _I wanted this for so long. Now I only want to run away. _

What in all Oz had made Elphie think she could do this? She was alone. _How could you leave me all alone?_ _You've dropped me on the ground and I can't stand up again._ _And I'm supposed to do all you couldn't. I can't even do what you **could**_.

Elphie had believed though. She had staked her life on it.

"Dying is easy," Glinda whispered bitterly into the empty room. The moment she heard them aloud, she was certain the words were true. _Dying is easy. You took the easy way out, Elphaba._ For the first time she was struck by a lance of real rage at her lost friend, until she remembered the end of that indictment. _For once. You took the easy way out for once. I suppose I can't fault you that. It's my turn now. _

"My turn." She spoke out loud and found it gave a small piece of strength, as she imagined Elphaba's…well whatever it was that Elphaba had passing to her in some elaborate rite. She spoke it again with greater conviction, sharper, bolder. Louder. Again, like an incantation, she chanted. She felt her heart, her body, her mind grow sharper and surer. She rose to her feet, hands clenched at her side, eyes shut tightly, head thrown back as she shouted to whatever gods happened to be listening.

"**_MY TURN_**"

"Um, Miss Glinda?"

She spun toward the door at the small knock and smaller voice beyond it. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips parted and eyes wide in sudden fear.

The knock came again. "May I…may I come in Your…Your…?" She, for Glinda now identified the voice of their young Dorothy, seemed to falter at a proper honorific.

"Of course, my dear. Just give me moment." Glinda's automatic singsong voice seemed only slightly rushed. She darted to her vanity, quickly wiping the smudges and tears from her face, tucking back her frazzled hair, smoothing her wrinkled dress.

"Come in" she lilted. _Come in, witch killer._

The girl slipped in the door, quiet and shy.

"They…they're still out there," she said, nervously clasping her hands.

Glinda smiled. "They do love their celebrations. And there is much to celebrate, thanks to you!"

The girl's eyes cast downward. Not much pride for an honored hero.

"Yes," she said hesitantly. "That's what I wanted to…to talk to you about."

Glinda smiled comfortingly, motioning for the girl to sit down on the lush, brightly colored sofas. She then waited for her distraught visitor to speak. And waited. And waited. She had been about to offer the girl a refreshment when the silence was broken.

"The Wizard is a fraud."

Glinda was startled. For the first time Dorothy's voice was sure, unwavering. There was no subtle questioning, no uncertainty or silent begging for affirmation. And her eyes were laid intently on Glinda as if she were…judging. Warily judging, like a mouse that for the first time noticed the cat at its side. Glinda swallowed. Dorothy let out a sigh, again lowering her gaze.

"You knew," she whispered.

Glinda had no answer for that simple accusation. It was true, but there must be some reason some…excuse. Dorothy, however, wasn't interested in one.

"Why were they enemies?"

"Who?" asked Glinda hiding her wariness. She feared she already knew the answer.

The girl sat straighter, her words coming out in the hurried frenzy of a mind frightened of it's own thoughts.

"They _were_ enemies. He wanted her dead. Was glad of it. It used to be obvious. He was the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She was the Wicked Witch of the West. Of course they would be enemies. Although, now that I think on it, there was never a reason given why. And it's just that the Wizard turned out to be not so…wonderful. So, maybe the Witch wasn't quite so…so…"

Here she faltered. Unable to finish the thought, to fully commit to the implications, she fell silent.

Glinda had stopped breathing. She found herself urging the child on. _Come on. Come on. You can do it. You can see it. You can say it. I can't. But **you** can. _Suddenly she was confronted by the tempting thought of loopholes. She wasn't trying, it was just happening. Wasn't it? All the girl had to do was ask, and all she had to do was nod. She had promised not to tell the truth. She never said she would lie. Perhaps if some citizen of Oz ever thought to ask "Was she really wicked?" Glinda could carelessly reply with "Of course, silly," and a smile. But here, with this girl who already seemed so close to the truth, who had seen her, spoken to her…killed her.

Her breath hitched. Could she do that? So severely punish a girl who had been nothing but an innocent pawn? She was, Glinda realized, innocent as much as she may wish to blame her. _Witch killer._ But no, that honor belonged to Madame Morrible and the Wizard. And Glinda herself. To absolve her own guilt she would pass it to this child with righteous anger. No. This pain she bore inside with these terrible, beautiful secrets were her own to bear.

_I can't do this_, she realized with silent anguish and fear.

_You must,_ replied a voice inside her sounding eerily like a certain green witch. _You promised._

Glinda smiled her most genuine smile on short notice, moving to sit beside the distraught girl.

"Just because someone lied about some things doesn't mean they were a bad person or did bad things or didn't do good things that helped people." In this case it did, but the statement on its own was true enough.

Dorothy's eyes rose to look into the pretty witch's own and Glinda saw the beginnings of tears in them. What was truly happening in that young heart? What had brought her to such distress and drove her to seek out not only comfort but answers from her now mistrusted guide? The girl's lips parted to draw in breath, but whatever she had to say was interrupted by a knocking. At the window, here on the fourth story.

Glinda's brow furrowed in puzzlement at the insistent tapping at the glass. She looked out through the dark window and made out a faint outline of a small figure. She rose to investigate, leaving Dorothy at her seat confused. She opened the window gently and found…a bird. A blackbird. With a small parchment clutched in the beak that had been pecking at her windowpane, it (he? she?) emulated an air of impatience. When she reached a hand out, it quickly dropped its package into it and flew off into the night. She was unsure whether the glint of intelligence she had seen in the bird's eyes had been imagined. Warily, she closed the window, turning her back to it and casting her eyes to the note in her hands.

"What is it?" Asked the girl.

Glinda shook her head in puzzlement, slowly opening the carefully folded but dirty and weather torn parchment.

She glanced at the writing. Her brow furrowed. She scanned the words. She blinked. She read it again. Her lips parted and let out a deeply held breath. She examined the words once more, her vision caressing each individual letter. Her eyes widened. She gasped, loud and hard.

And as she fought to remain standing, she lifted her eyes to the very confused young girl in front of her.

"What?" Was the quizzical question.

Glinda opened her mouth to answer.

And found she had no words.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: ** Ok, you've convinced me. I'm putting up another chapter. I've got to say, I'm not entirely thrilled with this one. I've read it over and over, trying to fix it but…anyway, here goes. I'm not going to point out my issues just yet; I'm interested to hear what you all pick out. Also, I'm sorry. I hadn't really thought about it as a cliffhanger, and I'm not sure this chapter helps. I would now like to specifically address the comments of blufair (thanks for reading and reviewing, all of you). It does in fact tie in. Eventually. I appreciate you bringing the, um, incongruity to my attention. I'm not going fix it. I just ask you to bear (bare?) with me. Very loosely related, I'm thinking of changing the title. This fic is turning into something rather different than I first imagined, but title change doesn't seem all that important. Alright-y then, that's all for today. Eventually I will start writing my author's notes with actual separate paragraphs. But not now.

"You're still thinking about her, aren't you?"

Elphaba looked up at her companion holding a pile of sticks he had gathered for a fire. For her. He had no need of heat now. She sighed. Again she fleetingly regretted giving up the Grimmerie. Morrible had said you couldn't reverse a spell, but it wasn't as if her old teacher never lied or had never been wrong.

"And now you're regretting about me. Stop it, Green Girl. I don't and you shouldn't."

She smiled at the pet name Fiyero had coined in the heat of rescue and seemed to like. He dropped the wood in a pile and moved to sit next to her. They'd traveled farther West that first day but their pace was slow and they stopped early that night. It wasn't as though they had somewhere to be.

"Like you said, I'm not nearly as shallow as I pretend to be. It's not that important to me." He paused, gazing at her from the corner of his eye. "Is it important to you?"

She laughed out loud at that. Turning to hug him around the neck she said, "Of course not! It's enough just to be with you." She smiled wide as he planted a kiss on her lips.

"We should start that fire. It's getting chilly," he said, standing.

"I'll do it," she said and with a single wave of her hand moved the branches into a bier and set it alight.

"Well. I guess we should try and get some rest, then. Get an early start tomorrow," he said returning to his seat.

"Right."

But she couldn't sleep. She kept thinking, worrying, remembering.

_I just wish…_

She knew well what she had asked of her friend, and it pained her to think of this abandonment.

_I should be helping her._

_She didn't help you. And your help was just **so** beneficial before._

She sighed and stood, careful not to wake her sleeping companion. She walked a ways, keeping the fire in sight. She was trying to sort out the _right_ thing to do. Not just what would make her feel better, put her conscience to rest, but that would give comfort to her only friend in the world.

Glinda.

Would it do any harm, really? It was one more secret for her to keep and perhaps this one would allay whatever grief she had been feeling. The last thing she wanted was to cause Glinda more pain, or any pain at all. Could it do any harm? Would knowing this truth be too much for her to bear? Or could it give her comfort, peace? Was the risk worth the reward?

Yes. Or at least if she didn't act she would go mad thinking about it.

She crept back to their little camp, quietly kneeling next to their small sac of supplies. With furtive glances toward the sleeping scarecrow, she retrieved a small piece of paper and a pen. Then, she softly made her way back out to the wood.

She knelt at the foot of a tree. Raising her hand just above her head she clenched a fist and when she unfolded her hand there was a small, bright ball of green light. Now she turned to the parchment, lifting her pen to it. And stopped.

What should she say? This could not be done carelessly. It could be intercepted or stolen or any number of mistakes could lead to another seeing the words she wrote. She needed to be clear, but careful. Given current events a simple "I live" may be as telling as "The Wicked Witch of the West is alive and well." She sighed and lowered her pen. And thought.

Many minutes later, a seed of an idea graced her mind. It was from long ago. Glinda might not even remember. But…somehow it seemed right. True. And certainly cryptic. With that, she scratched a few short words and folded the parchment once, twice, three times into a perfect square.

She stood and walked a bit further, deftly extinguishing her light. Closing her eyes she softly cast one of the few spells she had used enough times to remember it clearly. It simply directed her toward the nearest speaking Animal. A few moments and she felt a familiar tug beneath her breastbone. Opening her eyes she made her way to the source and found herself looking up from the base of the tree.

"Ahem. Excuse me!" she called sharply but not too loudly. "Excuse me! Is there someone there I could speak to?"

Finally, a small black head peeked out through the branches, cocking it to one side and staring intently.

"Ah," Elphaba said, allowing herself a slight smile. "I was hoping I could ask a favor. It may take a few days, and may be a bit dangerous I suppose, but if you refuse I would most appreciate it if you could direct me to a friend who might oblige."

There was no answer. Not surprising, most Animals were keeping a low profile these days, even way out here. She continued anyway. She was certain the bird understood her.

"It is very important that this message be put into the hand of Glinda the Good at the Emerald City Palace."

Still nothing, no indication the creature was anything but a dumb animal.

Elphaba let out a sigh of frustration. "_Please._"

She waited. Nothing. Hanging her head as she clenched her eyes tight, she turned to walk back to camp. She'd try again tomorrow night.

Suddenly, she heard the squawk of a bird at her shoulder. Turning she found the owner of the voice perched on a lower branch. It still didn't speak, but leaned downward and opened it's beak invitingly. Elphaba smiled and gently placed the precious message inside.

"You know the way?"

The blackbird blinked, then nodded.

"Thank you."

But the messenger had already taken wing, heading east.

Elphaba turned to head back but was stopped at the sight that greeted her.

"You told her."

Elphaba looked down. "Fiyero, I'm sorry. But it's for the best. I know it."

Without a word he turned and walked away. She let out a sigh and followed. When she arrived back he had rolled up their makeshift bed and tucked it back into the sac.

"Are we heading out again? It's still dark," she asked in puzzlement.

This time, it was his turn to sigh. "I'm sorry Elphaba. This isn't going to work."

She blinked. "What?"

Warily, he gazed up at her from his crouch, and then stood, moving to stand before her. The pained look on his face was startling.

"All I ever wanted was to be with somebody who loved me. Not the idea of me, but me. I realized early on that Glinda didn't love me."

"That's not true," Elphaba interrupted earnestly.

"Yes it is. She always wanted someone else. I was convenient."

Elphaba wasn't sure what to say about that. He seemed to believe it and she didn't know how to dissuade him. The truth of it didn't seem to matter now.

"I thought you loved me. I knew you could_ see_ me; you were maybe the first person who could. But you don't love me."

Elphaba's mouth opened in shock. Her breath hitched. He smiled sadly.

"Do you? Love me?"

Her eyes lowered. He waited.

"No," she said finally.

He sighed. "I didn't think so. It's ok. I don't love you either."

Her gaze lifted sharply. "Glinda?" she asked simply. He shook his head.

"I don't mind being with someone I don't love," he continued. "But I need to be with someone who loves me."

The simple honesty of those words, and suddenly Elphaba had a vision. A little boy in too fancy clothes. A fawning mother who didn't know his favorite color. A kind, smiling, demanding father who had all the answers, none of them right. Friends he couldn't trust. Ever encouraging and complimenting servants and tutors. A boy who was taught that love was something you showed, not something you felt. A boy who found out on his own that his lessons were lies.

"What are you going to do?" she asked at last.

He paused. "Go back to the Emerald City. I'm a hero there, you know. I think I'll try being the Scarecrow for a while."

He smiled, turned, picked up the pack, and started walking back the way they had come. All at once Elphaba realized the implications of this.

"Wait!" She cried. "What about…" _What about me?_

"Yes?" he asked, turning but not walking back.

She swallowed. "What…what should I do?"

He shrugged. "Whatever you want."

He resumed his journey again. She watched him until he was out of sight. Just like that, she was alone again.


	4. Chapter 3

**Authors Notes: ** This is a short one, I'm afraid. However, the one I'm working on now is longer. Not the next chapter, that's already written, but the one after that. I'm putting them up slowly because chapter…what, five? Well, it's taking a long time. Anyway, here's a little chapter-lette. Ta.

Glinda was overcome with emotion; it was attacking her from all sides. She felt crushed and pulled apart at once. So, she did what she always did when overwhelmed. She shut down all the inner voices and dealt first with her surroundings.

Her sights locked on her company of one.

"You need to leave now."

The poor girl looked for everything as if she had been slapped.

"Wh…what? Now?" She stuttered.

"Yes. I'm sorry. This is quite important. We'll speak later. It's late. Good night, dear." Smile.

"B...but," She stood to step toward Glinda, who took the opportunity to take the girl's elbow and guide her toward the door. Her continued and increasingly insistent protestations were gently soothed but firmly ignored. Glinda finally reached the door, turning the knob and urging the child through it.

"As I've said, we'll continue this tomorrow and…"

"But…but…I…no…wait…I…WAIT!"

Glinda was shocked out of her ritual by the near scream that had come from the creature by her side. She had wrenched herself from Glinda's grasp, throwing herself to the floor, and was…sobbing.

"I can't get it out of my head," she choked out between ragged breaths and tears. "I can't get _her_ out of my head. The screaming and…and…_melting_! It won't stop! Don't you understand? I killed her! _I killed her!_"

Dorothy raised her eyes pleadingly and Glinda found herself unable to turn her away. _Such passion, and a very astute need for morality in one so young. You would like her, Elphie. _Glinda fell to her knees beside the wretched girl, her skirts spreading like a new made island.

"Now, now, stop this," she whispered soothingly. "Come dear, there's no need…look at me child. Come on, dear look at me. Dorothy. Look at me and listen."

Finally, she lifted her head from her hands to look searchingly into Glinda's face. Glinda sighed and took the girls hands, making small circles with her thumb on the backs.

"Listen to me now, child. You did nothing wrong. You didn't kill her."

Dorothy blinked. "What?"

"You. Didn't. Kill her."

For many heartbeats all the girl did was breath.

"I don't understand," she said at last.

Here Glinda paused. How far dare she go with this? Would this child's peace of mind be worth the betrayal?

What would Elphie do?

"She's not dead," Glinda heard herself whisper, and waited intently for the girl's response.

"Oh."

Better than expected.

"That…that's what the note said?"

"Yes," Glinda affirmed. _More or less_. "I need to…to take care of this. Dorothy, you must say nothing to no-one, do you understand?"

She paused, and then nodded. "Yes. I…I'll go now."

Glinda smiled, a real smile for once this evening. "Thank you."

Dorothy rose and exited with a brief self-depreciating smile. Glinda shut the door quickly behind her, spun around pressing her back against the door. She looked down the note that had not yet left her hand, carefully unfolding it to read it's contents one more time. The script was thin, spidery, carefully written and, to Glinda, unmistakable. And what it said…equally unmistakable.

The rose still has her thorns.

_Oh, Elphie. _Glinda had no idea what her friend's intent with this was, why she had been told, what she was meant to do. But she knew what she was going to.

It took six minutes to write an appropriate letter explaining her need for several days of seclusion to sort through her new responsibilities and to place it where it would be easily found. Half an hour to find some non-conspicuous clothing in the back of her closet. Forty-three minutes to get out of her current getup and change. Two minutes to decide how much money to bring. Nine minutes to make it out of the palace unseen.

And so, exactly ninety minutes later, Glinda found herself purchasing a ticket for a very late, or very early, train heading west.


	5. Chapter 4

Elphaba sat in the castle's north tower and wondered why she had come back here. _Because you have nowhere else to go, stupid_, answered the increasingly irritating second half of her inner dialogue. Crossing the great and mysterious Western Dessert had seemed less appealing as a one-man job. One-woman job. One-witch job. Whatever. Come to think of it, the first half of her inner dialogue had been getting pretty annoying as well.

She sighed. Years of relative solitude had gotten her the habit of running things past herself and that had gradually developed two distinctive voices. Probably not a good sign sanity-wise, but what was she to do? _Find somebody _else_ to talk to._ There used to have been Chistery. _Who talks back! _He could have, in time. _Yes. Time. A long, long time._

"Please, shut up."

_Oh, bravo. Now you're talking to yourself _out loud. _That's a step in the right direction. _

"Agh!" Elphaba swept to her feet, pacing the small room in frustration.

I'm blowing everything out of proportion. This isn't so bad. I'm in a big empty castle. I've done that before. I've been alone before and I was just fine. _You're more alone now_. You can't be _more_ alone. You either are or you're not. _Oh, no. You didn't have any people before, but you had something else_. What's that? _A reason to be alone. A cause. _

She stopped pacing. She was right. She had nothing to do, to fix, to help. No broom, no book. She'd passed them on. Her time was over. She had…nothing left to do, nothing left to…_don't finish that. Don't go there. There are too many high ramparts in this rusty, old castle. _

Perhaps this was madness. Now there was a question for the philosophers. If a madwoman rants in a tower and there is nobody there to hear her, is she still mad? _More importantly, does it matter?_

There must be some way to survive this existence. _That's easy. Don't think about it. _Don't think about it? I don't think you know us very well_. Perhaps not, but _

_that's the way out. Don't think on the future. Don't think on the past. Just take it one moment at a time. _One moment at a time, for how many moments? _Don't think on it. _

Right.

The next few days were a blur. She slept when she was tired, woke when she was not. She bathed when she smelled. She ate from the kitchen when hungry, drank from the well when thirsty. She cleaned when the dust became too great. When none of these things bothered her she paced. She did not think on whether this was to be her life.

Some days later, she discovered it was not.

Banging. There was a banging. It had taken several minutes for her to fully register a new sound. She tilted her head and moved to find its source. It was really very irritating. What was that banging? She climbed down the stairs, walked the long halls and found herself at the front gate. There was someone there. Yelling.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Please open up the gate!"

A familiar someone, it seemed. Elphaba went down and opened up the small side door as the gate took several large men to operate. She stood for several minutes simply staring at the figure before her. From the back all that could be seen was the dark brown, excellently cut, leather cloak and hood.

"Glinda?"

The figure spun quickly and within a blink had nearly toppled Elphaba over with her embrace.

"Oh, _Elphaba!_" she shrieked with glee.

Then, just as quickly, she pulled back and aimed a volley of rapidly flying little fists at the stunned green woman.

"How could you _do that_ to me?" cried Glinda. "I was a _mess_! You scared me to _death_! I was _grief-stricken! _You…you…you _horrible_ person! Oh, I missed you so much!" She exclaimed, pulling the taller woman into another tight embrace.

"Glinda, please, let's…let's go inside."

Elphaba pulled her petite friend through the doorway, through the castle, arriving at her small corner tower.

"Glinda," Elphaba said at last. "What are you doing here?"

"I got your note," replied Glinda as if it explained everything.

Elphaba blinked. "Glinda, I only sent that so that you would know. So…so that you would not grieve."

"Well, what did you expect me to do?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing. Elphie, sweetheart, you can't pull a 'look I'm dead, except not really' and expect a person just go, 'oh, ok then.'"

"Glinda, you have to go back. You have things to do!"

"It's taken care of."

"Taken care of?"

"For now anyway. The Wizard is preparing for departure. Madame Morrible is in custody. I have taken a brief leave in order to sort through my upcoming duties. And most of Oz is too busy celebrating to notice any of it."

Elphaba was taken aback. In truth she had always looked down on Glinda a little, seeing her as rather, well, _not ingenious. _But sweet Oz, she was good at this. _It should have been her all along. _

"Elphie, are you listening to me?"

Elphaba smiled. "Of course not. Do I ever?"

Glinda giggled, then fought to regain a serious expression.. "Elphie, this is important. I have an idea. It could fix everything!"

"Really," Elphaba asked skeptically.

Glinda nodded. "It will work, I'm sure. It's the only way for you to come back, but you'll have to swallow your pride. Now, I know…"

"Wait." Elphaba interrupted. "Come back? Back where?"

"The Emerald City. I've been thinking about it all the way here and…"

"I'm not going back, Glinda."

Now the blonde began to pout. "Why not?"

"To begin with, I'm dead. That might be awkward."

Glinda shook her head. "No, I have it all worked out."

"They all hate me."

"I can fix it!"

_"Fix it?"_

"_Yes!" _

Elphaba opened her mouth to explain the obvious lunacy of this statement but Glinda rushed to cover her mouth with her hand.

"Elphaba, you have to come back with me. I…I can't _do this_!" Glinda sank to her knees despondently.

Elphaba, startled by her friend's desperation, quickly kneeled beside her.

"Glinda?" she inquired softly to blonde's sniffles.

"Elphie, what you asked me to. I _can't_. I don't know how. I need you to show me."

Elphaba shook her head. "I know its hard, but I don't know how either. I tried. It's your turn now."

"No it's not," Glinda snapped. "It was never your turn and it's not mine now. I…I've been thinking about this too."

Elphaba smirked. "That's quite a lot of thinking in so short a span. Making up for lost time?"

Glinda glared at her. "Oh? And what have you been doing?"

That wiped the smirk off Elphaba's face. _Maybe we were both making up for lost time._

"Anyway, _as I was saying_," Glinda continued, turning serious again. "It was never supposed to be that way, yours or mine. It was supposed to be…it was supposed to be _ours_."

Elphaba pulled back a bit, her teeth biting her lower lip in thought. She'd considered that. She'd wondered how things might have been different if…but that moment had passed. There was no going back. Slowly, she shook her head.

"Elphie, please," Glinda begged, holding her friends hands to her. "I…I made a mistake. A terrible one, but please, don't make the same mistake to…to _punish_ me!"

Elphaba's head shot up and she looked into the eyes of her only friend, spilling over with tears.

"Oh, no," she whispered, pulling the other girl to her. "Never, never, never," she chanted softly as she stroked her hair.

As Glinda began to cry against her dearest friend's shoulder, she started to speak. The words came from somewhere she had never been before, but she knew then to be _Truth_.

"You had it right the first time, _we_ had it right. We're the Queen the Flowers, together. One needs the other, like we said. Elphie, you sent a bird to tell me the rose still had her thorns. Elphaba, please, _she needs them._

"Elphaba. Come with me."

_We'll be the greatest team there's ever been. _

"Swallow my pride, huh?"

Elphaba sighed and thought of all the absolutely horrendous things that could imply. So many things could go wrong. It would be going back to everything, the responsibility, the pressure, the _people_. It scared her to death.

"Yes. I'll come."


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: **It's all over the news. The Christ and Anti-Christ have risen and are doing battle. If you go outside you'll notice that the earth has, indeed, spun off its axes. If you travel to anywhere on the equator you will encounter the devil, complaining about the unexpected snow. And I have written another chapter. Whoa.

I feel this deserves some explanation, as to why it took so long. See, Glinda had this brilliant plan, ya know? I, however, did not know what that was. And then my life imploded. And then my account imploded. But things are back on track, I'm working on chapter 7, and I kinda see where things are going now. Sorta. I want to send thanks to all those who reviewed. Every time I got a review it just pushed me try and get back to this. So, you know, keep doing that. I've also re-edited some earlier chapters. No big changes, just typos and crap, but I did so…yay me. Please let me know what you think of this next chapter. It's…kinda slow. Not much happens, but I'm pretty happy with it.

"This is never going to work."

Glinda sighed. "You keep saying that, but you don't give any good reasons why."

"That's because it's self-evident. You don't need detailed explanations as to why jumping off a cliff is a bad idea. We all know how it's going to end."

With a grin Glinda replied, "Except when we _defy_ expectations and fly away instead."

Pause. Glare. "Don't do that. It's irritating."

Another sigh of exasperation, but only for appearances sake. They had decided on the plan days ago and from the moment they had set out to their arrival back at the palace under cover of darkness, Elphaba had maintained that they had no chance of succeeding, but she did not take any greater action than that. Glinda knew that if her friend were seriously considering backing out their arguments would have been much more heated and thought out. This was just Elphaba's nervousness being taken out on those around her.

"So", Elphaba continued. "Two more days, right?"

Glinda nodded. "Yes. The Wizard and Dorothy leave tomorrow. We'll bring you out the day after."

Elphaba swallowed and nodded in affirmation. She knew this already, but continued to confirm it over and over. It was odd. It sometimes felt as if Elphaba was speaking only for the sake of it. This was a great change from the quiet girl at school who preferred to speak only when she had something to say.

"Elphaba, I wanted to say…thank you."

Quizzically the other turned to her. "For what?"

A deep breath and Glinda replied. "For coming back. For trusting me. If…if anything goes wrong, I'm so sorry." Glinda wondered exactly when it had gotten so hard to swallow.

Elphaba took her hand. "Don't. I know what I'm getting myself into. It's more than just trust, Glinda. You're brilliant at this. Remember that."

Glinda smiled at her friend, wondering how she had ever survived without this.

"Well," Glinda said breaking the silence. "Things will get better, but for now you really can't leave these rooms. They're mine, so they won't be disturbed, but anywhere else has a risk of discovery. And we don't want anyone to know about you until _we_ say so."

Elphaba nodded. There was a pause and then, "I appreciate you including me in that 'we', as if I have any idea what's going on."

There it was again. As if Elphie were deciding to talk. Elphaba never decided to talk in normal conversation; she just burst out when something rattled her enough.

"I should put in an appearance, and make sure everything's set for the big departure. I'll be back in a few hours. Make yourself at home, just don't touch anything."

Snort.

"You know what I mean."

"I'm actually rather tired. There a place I can sleep?"

"Elphie, I know you been away for a while, but that large, cushy contraption standing five feet away from you is what we in the civilized world like to call a _bed_."

"I…I meant where I _would_ be sleeping, for the next couple of nights that is."

Glinda wondered if Elphie's increased agitation was her own imagination.

"Yes. That would be it." Glinda replied, gesturing to the item in question.

"But…but where will you…that is…won't you need somewhere to sleep?"

"Yes, I will. I think this will serve quite well for the both of us."

"Both of us?"

"Elphie, it's the size of boat."

Elphaba turned her head to look and saw that it was, indeed, quite large.

"Alright. As long as you don't mind…"

"Elphaba Throp," said Glinda, finally losing patience. "If I minded, you would know it!"

"Yes," her friend replied with a smile. "I suppose I would."

For a moment, they just looked at each other. Glinda stood part way to the door, decked in a glittering blue gown, hair curled and pinned. She even had a crown. Elphaba sat at Glinda vanity, arm slung over the back, in a simple black dress made from a dozen patched fabrics, hair hanging loosely down her back. Deep brown eyes met pale blue.

"I should go."

"Right."

And so she went.

When she returned, Elphaba was asleep on the bed.

"How is it that you have not a single book in this whole room?"

Or maybe not so asleep. Glinda sighed.

"Forgive me for not having quite the love you do for musty inanimate objects that take up space and give you headaches."

Elphaba opened one eye to watch her friend pull the pins from her hair. It was nearly midnight.

"Bad day?" she asked.

"Not really," Glinda replied, deftly unbuttoning her dress. "Just exhausting."

"Mmm."

"You, I can see, have had a perfectly restful day."

"Boring day. Tedious day. Please-give-me-something-anything-to-stop-the-monotony sort of day."

"I'll get you a damn book, alright? And in a few days you can have as many books as you bloody want." By now, Glinda stood in her nightdress. "Any requests?"

She was rewarded with a faint grunt.

"Is that the title or author?" Glinda teased lightly, moving over to the bed.

"Move over," she said, gently giving Elphie a shove.

"There's plenty of room over there." Elphaba gestured with her head.

"I like the right side."

Elphie blinked. "You can't be serious."

_"Move._"

"No! This is ridiculous and I'm quite comfortable. If you could be so kind as to go…Umph! What in hell are you doing?"

Glinda had lifted the blankets under Elphaba, positioned herself beneath them and used her hips to shove into Elphaba's side.

"Well, if you won't _move…_"

"Oh, sweet Oz, if it's that important to you!" Elphaba shifted over to the left side of bed quickly maneuvering herself under the covers. When they had settled, it registered in Glenda's mind that Elphie was wearing the same dress to bed.

"Tomorrow, I'm getting you a new dress."

"What on earth for?"

"Clothing may not be that important to you, but it does matter and we need to make you look slightly less the wicked witch."

"Oh."

Glinda did not like the sound of that syllable. Lately, Elphaba had been far too…well, there may not be a word for it but they way she kept on giving in and deferring with these long humility filled silences was just wrong. That was what people did when they felt stupid. Elphaba felt a lot of things, but it was never stupid. Glinda turned on her side to face her friend.

"Elphie, people have an image in their minds. A picture of what the Wicked Witch of the West _is_. It's not just you, but a certain kind of you. Do you think anyone recognized me on the train without my gowns or my curls or my wand? Of course not. They don't know me. But they know Glinda the Good. We have to paint them a different picture of you. Before we can show them the you we want them to see we've got to shock the old one out of their system. It will work, but it will take time and attention to detail."

Glinda looked closely at the green girl's guarded face.

"Alright?"

Elphaba blinked. "I have not the faintest idea what you're talking about."

Glinda giggled. That was better. Elphaba could say she hadn't a clue and make it so condescending that what she really meant was, "I couldn't care less." If Elphie didn't know something, it was because she didn't want to.

"Now you know how I felt listening to you talk about history and biology and the socio-political ramifications of such-in-such."

Elphaba smiled. "What kind of dress?"

Glinda blinked. Somewhere the devil must be feeling very, very cold all of a sudden. In what universe did Elphaba care about clothes?

"I was just wondering. Never mind, it's not important, I…"

"Something simple" Glinda interrupted. "Still black I think, but an everyday sort of black. We want you to look like a real person, but we also have to make sure everyone realizes it's you and not some sort of imposter.

Elphaba snorted. "Yes, because there are all sorts of green skinned imposters just waiting to take over.

Glinda turned to look at her friend, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"You know, you're right. I remember when I first met you, you were so bright and green. But now, I hardly notice. Not that don't know you're green or anything, it just seems…natural, I suppose. It would be strange if you we a different color. _Then_ you wouldn't be normal."

Elphaba gave a little half smile. "That's sort of odd, isn't it? I mean," and here she raised one hand as if she were inspecting it. "I was always so aware of it. I never quite felt comfortable in my own skin, and I've had it around a lot longer than you."

"That's just because they never let you be comfortable."

"Oh, I never really minded what a bunch of silly strangers thought of me."

Pause. "That's not who I meant."

"Oh. You mean father. And Nessa."

Glinda let out a sigh. "Elphie, I don't want to speak ill of the dead…"

"Ding dong, the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch." Elphaba's words were sharp and bitter. "Ding dong, the wicked witch is…"

"Stop it, Elphie. Please. I know you don't want to hear this, but what she and your father did to you was awful. Nessa never treated you like a sister, just as someone who could do things for her, and she was never grateful. I don't even want to think about your father. It isn't fair Elphie. They never deserved you. I'm sorry they died the way they did and I won't say they had it coming, but they both had pretty comfortable lives considering how they treated others."

"Others?" Elphaba asked softly.

"You."

Elphaba turned over, and after a time Glinda thought she had gone to sleep. She sighed, and turned to do the same,

"They were my family, Glinda. They were all I had."

Glinda closed her eyes, surprised at the faint hint of tears behind them.

"Good night, Glinda."

"Night, Elphie."


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes**: Not much to say. It's pretty cool that I have another chapter up within such a relatively short time. Whoo and Hoo. Anyway, it's a bit short, but serves its purpose, and hopefully I'll be updating fairly regularly from now on. Enjoy.

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There was music, the use of triumphant trumpets being of particular note. Banners and ribbons of every color hung from windows and doors, off of balconies and carriages. The men wore flowers in their lapels and the women had them in their hair. The entire city had erupted with the sole purpose of bidding the Wonderful Wizard and the hero Dorothy a very fond farewell.

The balloon was ready and waiting and well guarded. Dorothy and the Wizard would soon emerge, as would the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow to make a their public goodbyes to the delight of the crowd. It was Glinda who needed to ensure that all ran smoothly. With such a large gathering, things could always go wrong. All these people needed to be fed, housed and generally kept happy. It was absolutely necessary that the spectacles be spectacular with an upbeat tone so that no one began to worry about the implications of their Wizard abandoning them. There was much to take into consideration, and though Glinda was certain she needed to maintain a sharp and alert mind in order that the event go off without a hitch, she found herself preoccupied by a single dominating thought.

Elphaba snuggled. It was a strange thing actually, because now that Glinda thought about it she couldn't imagine whom else she would ever have had the opportunity to snuggle _with_. Somehow, it was hard to picture a little Elphaba climbing into bed with her father or mother or sister. And not being kicked out. Yet the fact remained that last night Glinda had been very aggressively snuggled by the green girl in question.

Glinda also took this opportunity to note that Elphaba made soft humming noises in her sleep and her breath smelled vaguely of moist wood and moss, and the faint scent of pine emanated from the general direction of her hands.

_I really should have given the Shared Bed Issue deeper thought._

It wasn't that she had found it uncomfortable, exactly. It was actually a rather nice feeling, like being wrapped up in a warm cocoon. It reminded her of all sorts of comforting things; fur muffs, hot chocolate, that rosy feeling in your cheeks when you're just the right distance from the fire. The problem was that, although she couldn't quite place her finger on why, Glinda had a nagging feeling that she wasn't supposed to be quite this comfortable with the situation. That was absurd, of course. There was no reason why she shouldn't feel at home in the arms of her best friend. However, the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about it, along with the vague feeling of regret that by tomorrow night Elphaba would be tucked away in her _own_ bed was most likely, decidedly, not normal.

_It is just that I have been alone for so long_, she thought. _It's nice to be held_,_ that's all._ Back at Shiz, Fiyero had always been good company for such things, but the last few months had found him absent, in more ways than one. In fact, he had been distant since Elphaba had left. It really was extraordinary how obvious some things became looking back on them. _Oh well. He's gone now, and there's no use regretting. _If she started thinking about what she should have known or should have done, she'd probably never stop.

She glanced up, the window of her own room visible from her position just inside the side door of the palace. It would only be a few more minutes now. Her hand lifted to feel the key hanging around her neck through her bodice. It was silly really, no one ever entered her rooms without express permission, but should Elphaba be discovered now the results would be disastrous and it made Glinda feel safer knowing her friend was safely locked away, where only she herself could reach her.

Ah, here came Dorothy, and the Wizard. Glinda smiled at the girl, not bothering with her soon-to-be traveling companion.

"And how are we, dear?" She said, her voice kind and not hitting any of her normally false notes. "Have everything for the trip?"

"What?" Dorothy answered, her eyes wide as she peered out through the narrowly opened door. "Oh, yes, thank you. There are so many people!"

"You're very popular around these parts," Glinda replied encouragingly.

"Well, I don't like it. I can't wait to get back to where I'm just plain, simple Dorothy."

Glinda blinked. "Whatever you wish, dear. Come now, we're going to exit through the main gate."

With that, she turned to walk down the long hallway.

"I think I will really miss this place." Glinda glanced at the man at her side, catching the smile he threw at her. "I helped design it myself, you know."

"They certainly all love you. Of course, I can't be certain how long that would last should your stay be extended." The underlying coolness of Glinda's voice was dripping with threat to the trained ear. The Wizard chuckled.

"Oh, don't worry. I think it's time I went back to being plain and simple myself."

"Past time. Well, here we are!" She directed this last to Dorothy who had trailed behind. "Are you ready?"

Dorothy's wandering eyes snapped on glittery-garbed witch, her whole body seeming to shrink from the sounds of the crowd outside. Moving close and taking the young girl's hand Glinda held those eyes.

"It will all be alright," she murmured. "Soon you'll home. Your friends will be there the whole time. And so will I."

With a deep breath, Dorothy nodded.

"Alright then."

Glinda then turned and knocked on the door three times, indicating to the guards they were ready. A moment later the doors opened and the crowd erupted to greet the Witch, the Wizard, and the girl. They made their way to the balloon's platform where the Wizard began his farewell speech.

Glinda's thoughts began to drift again, her gaze moving toward the palace even knowing her own window was on the other side. She wondered what Elphaba was doing during this commotion. Reading, most likely. Glinda had gotten up early that morning, extracting herself carefully from Elphaba's embrace, before quietly dressing and seeing to the last minute preparations. She'd returned a few hours later with a pile of books and a measuring tape in hand to find the green witch up and about. Glinda smiled slightly at the memory of her friend's quiet reverence and contained excitement over the dusty volumes. Glinda had been sure to choose books that would not be missed from the library any time soon, but that didn't seem to diminish Elphaba's appreciation.

Her mood had changed however when Glinda insisted on getting her measurements. The commotion of today was the perfect time to put in an order for a dress without much notice. Fortunately, the task was accomplished without too much trouble as Elphaba always liked to get necessary yet unpleasant things over with as quickly as possible. Glinda had then gone to a little dress shop close to the palace and put in her order. It was simple project and should be done be tomorrow, though if perfectly honest with herself Glinda secretly hoped it would take a little longer. She was enjoying this time alone with Elphaba and she knew that after she was revealed to the public, they would never really be alone again. Part of her wanted to steal just a few more hours of keeping Elphaba to herself.

Suddenly, Glinda was shaken from her reverie as she was bumped by a figure rushing past. Quickly, she took stock. She tried to sort through the strange cacophony of cheering, shouting, crying and yapping. Looking up, she saw the Wizard waving from his sky-bound transportation. Looking down again, she encountered the angry and dismayed faces of Dorothy's strange companions. And there, standing on the platform with her little dog in her arms and tears streaming down her face, was the girl herself.

She had missed the balloon.


End file.
